Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase Five

Phase Five of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is a group of American superhero films and television series produced by Marvel Studios based on characters that appear in publications by Marvel Comics. The MCU is the shared universe in which all of the films and series are set. The phase includes television series produced by Marvel Studios and Marvel Studios Animation for the streaming service Disney+. The 2023 Hollywood labor disputes impacted the phase, leading to various schedule changes. It began with the film Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania in February 2023 and ended with the series Ironheart in July 2025. Phases Four, Five, and Six make up "The Multiverse Saga" storyline.

Kevin Feige produced every film in the phase, with Lauren Shuler Donner, Ryan Reynolds, and Shawn Levy also producing Deadpool & Wolverine (2024), and Marvel Studios executives Stephen Broussard and Nate Moore also producing some of the phase's other films. The films star Paul Rudd as Scott Lang / Ant-Man and Evangeline Lilly as Hope van Dyne / Wasp in Quantumania; Chris Pratt as Peter Quill / Star-Lord in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023); Brie Larson as Carol Danvers / Captain Marvel, Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeau, and Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan / Ms. Marvel in The Marvels (2023); Reynolds as Wade Wilson / Deadpool and Hugh Jackman as Logan / Wolverine in Deadpool & Wolverine; Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson / Captain America in Captain America: Brave New World (2025); and Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova in Thunderbolts* (2025). Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures distributed the films, which grossed over US$3.6 billion at the global box office. The Marvels is the first box-office bomb of the MCU.

Marvel Studios' approach to television shifted during work on this phase, moving away from limited event series to focus more on multi-season series. Several new labels were introduced for the studio's series during this phase: "Marvel Animation" for the animated series; "Marvel Spotlight" for the more standalone series Echo (2024); and "Marvel Television" for other live-action series, starting with Agatha All Along (2024). The television series star Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury in Secret Invasion (2023), Tom Hiddleston as Loki in the second season of Loki (2023), Jeffrey Wright as the Watcher in the second and third seasons of the animated What If...? (2023–24), Alaqua Cox as Maya Lopez / Echo in Echo, Kathryn Hahn as Agatha Harkness in Agatha All Along, Hudson Thames as Peter Parker / Spider-Man in the first season of the animated Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man (2025), Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock / Daredevil in the first season of Daredevil: Born Again (2025), and Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams / Ironheart in Ironheart.

The second season of the I Am Groot animated shorts and a tie-in comic book for Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man are also included in this phase. Hiddleston, Jackson, and Sebastian Stan, who plays Bucky Barnes, have the most appearances in the phase, each starring or making cameo appearances in four productions. Additionally, the first season of the Marvel Studios Animation series X-Men '97 was released on Disney+ alongside Phase Five as part of the Multiverse Saga. [edit]

Phase Five kicks off with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which drags Scott Lang, Hope van Dyne, and her parents into the subatomic Quantum Realm. There they meet a stranded variant of Kang the Conqueror, a time-traveling warlord who warns of an impending multiversal war. The film sets up Kang as the primary threat for the Multiverse Saga, but its muddled plot and overstuffed CGI left many fans underwhelmed.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 serves as the emotional swan song for James Gunn's cosmic misfits. After an attack by the genetically engineered Adam Warlock, Rocket is near death, and the team must journey into his past to save him. The mission uncovers the horrors Rocket endured at the hands of the High Evolutionary, a scientist obsessed with creating perfect creatures. The film balances gut-wrenching tragedy with the group's signature humor, giving each Guardian a moment to shine.

On the TV side, Secret Invasion drops Nick Fury into a paranoid thriller where shapeshifting Skrulls have infiltrated Earth's governments. Fury, alongside his old ally Talos, races to stop a renegade Skrull faction led by Gravik from starting World War III. Loki season two picks up right after the first season's cliffhanger, with Loki and Mobius trying to fix the crumbling TVA and Loki's own time-slipping. The season builds to a stunning finale where Loki takes control of the multiverse, becoming the God of Stories.

The Marvels brings together Carol Danvers, Monica Rambeau, and Kamala Khan, whose powers become linked, causing them to swap places whenever they use them simultaneously. The trio must team up to stop Dar-Benn, a Kree warrior desperate to save her dying homeworld. The film has a breezy, comedic tone, but it underperformed at the box office, becoming the MCU's first bomb.

Echo offers a grittier, street-level story as Maya Lopez returns to her Oklahoma roots to confront her past and her uncle, Wilson Fisk. Deadpool & Wolverine sees the Merc with a Mouth recruited by the TVA to save his timeline, dragging a reluctant Wolverine variant along for an R-rated, meta-filled romp through the multiverse. Agatha All Along spins off from WandaVision, with Agatha Harkness assembling a coven to walk the Witches' Road, a magical trial that promises to grant her powers back.

Captain America: Brave New World has Sam Wilson fully embracing the shield, investigating a conspiracy that leads to President Thaddeus Ross transforming into the Red Hulk. Daredevil: Born Again brings Matt Murdock back to New York, balancing his law career with his vigilante life as Wilson Fisk runs for mayor. Thunderbolts* assembles a team of antiheroes, Yelena, Bucky, Red Guardian, Ghost, Taskmaster, and John Walker, who are set up by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine and forced to fight for their survival. The phase wraps with Ironheart, where Riri Williams returns to Chicago and faces the demonic Parker Robbins, also known as The Hood.[edit]